At the end of each year, it’s human nature to reminisce over the events and milestones of the past 12 months. Sometimes we are so busy going about daily life that until we take a moment to reflect, we don’t really digest the moments that matter.

Here are some highlights of 2014 at the Children’s Museum of New Hampshire:

Extending the Museum beyond our doors by bringing art to the park and our building’s façade. Who knew that recycled plastic bottles could be so beautiful?

Starting a new EBT/SNAP admission program to extend our commitment to serving all families, leading the way before a national model was introduced for Children’s Museums around the country.

Unveiling a new Museum logo and brand that celebrates open-ended creativity and experimentation.

Hosting the 2nd annual Dover Mini Maker Faire, bigger and better than ever with 60 makers and over 1,600 attendees!

Celebrating the end of our 30th year by re-launching our iconic Yellow Sub exhibit with exciting new features like a drivable deep-sea environment and interactive swimming fish. (And for adults, an evening of delicious food and live music at our September Shebang!)

Collaborating with Dover Middle School Art Club students and our Artist in Residence Nate Walker to design new place-based bike racks for Henry Law Park right outside our doors. The Blue Crab welcomed his new friend – Steampunk Octopus!

And most importantly, all of us at the Children’s Museum remember the one constant that hasn’t changed over the past 30 years: the joy, wonder and pure delight that children bring to their Museum experience every single day.

We can’t wait for 2015 and look forward to sharing with you all the wonderful things the new year will bring!

Statistics from the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University show that in the first few years of a child’s life, 700 to 1,000 new neural connections are formed in the brain every second! At the Children’s Museum of New Hampshire, our goal is to create an experience-rich environmentfor children, giving them the opportunity to start strong. The impact of early experiences on brain development is critical because 85% of the architecture of a child’s brain is developed before age 5.

A vital aspect of early childhood development is the presence of “serve-and-volley” relationships – or back-and-forth communication between children and adults. These interactions happen when adults respond to children’s questions, pose their own questions, identify items that a child is pointing at and engage in back and forth conversation, even when the child’s “conversation” is smiling, pointing, reaching or babbling.

The Children’s Museum of New Hampshire is designed to encourage serve-and-volley exchanges. Sharing, playing or simply being exposed to new materials and activities through our programs and exhibits all help nurture healthy brain development.

This year, as you designate your charitable giving, please consider supporting the Museum’s Start Strong Fund, enabling us to continue building healthy brains right from the start.

For years my family has gotten accustomed to my gift-giving strategy. Sure, you may get something from me that you want (like a certain brick building toy) or something you need (like socks and pajamas), but thrown into the mix has always been the “experience gift.”

No one in my close circle can avoid these treasures – from tickets to a concert, theatre, attraction or sporting event, to a Museum membership, day of skiing, weekend of camping or day-trip adventure with several destinations, always including a stop for food, of course.

I always thought I was being sly, giving gifts that brought my family together for shared experiences, creating new memories. Is it still considered “giving” when what you receive back is just as valuable as the gift you give?

My sons, age 2 and 6, at the Boston’s Children’s Museum.

I recently asked my boys, ages 12 and 16, what their favorite gifts were from years’ past. I was surprised how few toys they could name or really remember, especially given how excited they were about them at the time.

But my teenager did remember the awe of sitting in the front row to see his first live theatre performance at age 4, and how much fun he had exploring the Museum in this picture at age 6. And my 12-year-old remembers the thrill of night skiing with a glow stick strapped to his jacket and learning how to start a campfire by a lake.

Last year’s experience gifts: Tickets to see the Blue Man Group and pizza dinner in Boston’s North End for my oldest (left), and and a ropes course adventure for my youngest (right).

As my children get older, I may not always be the person chosen to enjoy these experiences with them. You can be sure that my experience gifts will keep coming nonetheless.

The start of a new year brings a sense of promise and revitalization — a chance to reflect on the past and set goals for the future. Here at the Children’s Museum of New Hampshire, staff members have been sharing memories from the past 30 years as well as envisioning how we can continue to build a bright future for the Museum and everyone who is part of our community.

How do we do this? We ask ourselves tough questions about what we do, why we do it, and the impact we have on families, schools and community organizations.

Do we provide valuable experiences for visitors of all ages?

From First Friends for children as young as six months old and the Make It or Break It afterschool club for up to age 12, to the Dover Mini Maker Faire for all ages and the Alzheimer’s Café for seniors, we are engaging with people at all stages of life.

Do we give families reasons to keep coming back?

Our educators and exhibit team are always cooking up new ideas and experiments designed to deepen the impact of a Museum visit and provide fresh and exciting experiences for our frequent visitors.

Are we meeting the needs of schools?

Tying our group visits to teacher’s curriculum makes a visit to the Museum relevant. For schools that can’t reach us because of distance or bussing costs, we will pilot taking our programs out to schools this spring.

Can everyone who wants to participate in the Museum access our programs and services?

Our Reach All Initiative ensures that families and schools have free or reduced price access to the Museum. Programs like Exploring Our Way also provide free access to families with children on the autism spectrum.

the Children’s Museum of New Hampshire

Although times change, some things remain the same, such as the need to provide children and families with a safe and stimulating environment where they can take risks, ignite their creative potential and explore their passions. This is what has been fueling our work for the past 30 years, and we look forward to the next 30 years of nurturing new generations of innovative thinkers.

The Children’s Museum of New Hampshire is tapping into the strength of long-time staff members to lead the organization’s next phase of growth and development.

The Museum’s board of directors has announced the appointment of Jane Bard to the role of Museum President, and Paula Rais to the newly created position of Museum Vice President of Development and Community Engagement. Together, Bard and Rais will be managing Museum operations and the implementation of a recently completed strategic plan for the organization.

“This is the Children’s Museum’s thirtieth year of operation and we could not be more pleased to have this new leadership team in place,” stated Eric Gregg, President of the Museum’s board of directors. “Five years after moving to Dover, the Museum is thriving with great new programs, excellent community connections and more than 90,000 visitors a year. We have chosen two passionate and experienced professionals to continue expanding and deepening our impact with families, schools and under-served populations. Jane and Paula have our full confidence and we look forward to working with them to achieve the Museum’s goals.”

Jane checks blueprints during the renovation of the museum in 2008

Jane Bard, who holds a master’s degree in education, has been with the museum for 19 years, and served as the Museum’s Associate Director for several years and Director of Education for more than 10 years. Bard has developed and directed the organization’s education-based programming, served as co-chair of the New England Museum Association’s children’s museums professional affinity group, and presented at numerous regional and national conferences. She is currently working with the Dover Chamber’s Business and Education Committee and has served on the Dover Kids’ Cabinet, among other organizations.

Jane at work as Education Director

“Jane has done a remarkable job as the Director of Education for the Museum,” said Gregg. “Coming off her recent planning and execution of the highly successful Dover Mini Maker Faire and her consistent leadership of a thriving education program, Jane is especially well suited to being elevated to the role of Museum President.”

Paula accepts the Leaders in Innovation Award from the president of the New England Museum Association

With a background in education and the arts, Paula Rais joined the Children’s Museum staff 12 years ago. She created the Museum To You program in 2003, taking a miniature version of the Museum across the state and beyond to bring a children’s museum experience to under-served communities. More recently, Rais created the Museum’s Exploring Our Way Autism Partnership Program and the East Coast’s first Alzheimer’s Café, which won the Leaders in Innovation Award from the New England Museum Association. She has been a featured speaker at national conferences, has facilitated professional workshops, and is involved in museum industry leadership.

Paula at a recent Alzheimer’s Walk with friends from the museum’s Alzheimer’s Cafe

Gregg explained, “Paula’s history with the Museum, particularly her successful development of the Exploring Our Way and Alzheimer’s Café programs, and the wide range of relationships she has with the education and business communities, make her the ideal person to head up the Museum’s development efforts, in addition to retaining her role as Director of Community Engagement.”

Jane and Paula are now working together with the board and staff move forward with implementing the museum’s strategic plan, focused on creativity, learning and collaboration.

We’re ecstatic to share that more than 50 makers from around New England will be coming to the Children’s Museum of NH for our very first Maker Faire in downtown Dover! Our planning committee had a goal of 30 makers and we’ve blown that out of the water, thanks to the enthusiastic support of our local maker committee and grassroots promotion that has spread far and wide.

Tickets are available online at just $10 in advance for adults and kids ages 6 and over (kids 5 and under are admitted free) and $12 at the gate on Saturday.

Check out the list of makers who will be joining us on August 24th, along with a quick preview of what they’ll be sharing with attendees.

The Children’s Museum of New Hampshire is on a strategic path to inspire kids to think big and think different. Our Mission Statement puts it right up front:

We exist to ignite children’s creative potential through enriching experiences that tap into their talents, stretch them beyond perceived limits, and build strong, joyful relationships.

This focus on igniting children’s creativity and getting them excited about learning is what has inspired us to host New Hampshire’s first-ever Maker Faire event. We’re ecstatic to share that more than 50 makers from around New England will be joining us for Dover Mini Maker Faire on Saturday, August 24th! Check out the list of makers who will be here, along with a quick preview of what they’ll be sharing with attendees of all ages.

I love my job as curator of Gallery 6 and shamelessly confess that every show is my “favorite” show. But I felt compelled to write about the MOSAIC exhibit because this show touched a very special chord which, I believe, will have repercussions in my life and hopefully in the lives of some of the unbelievable people I have met.

It is well known that children in our world, now more than ever, are living in a diverse society, even in places where there was once a fairly homogeneous population. We truly live in a cultural mosaic right here in New Hampshire. This fact was driven home to me as I reached out to members of our multicultural community to participate in an exhibit called MOSAIC: Exploring our Multicultural Neighborhood.

The diversity I found has been astonishing and the outpouring of generosity, warmth and enthusiasm of people has been incredible! I feel I have made wonderful new connections … and, most importantly, friends!

Families from The Azores, Belarus, China, Germany, Greece, India, Indonesia, Iran, Lebanon, Mexico, Morocco and Rwanda have shared photographs, stories, traditions, art, music and customs that interest children everywhere. The list of nationalities here in New Hampshire could go on … it was hard to limit it to the wall space that we have.

The exhibit shows how people of these cultures live, eat, dress, learn, play and engage with each other. The most heartening aspect of the project was the reinforcement that people are all amazingly similar, despite regional or cultural differences.

Immigrants arriving in the United States tend to share at least two experiences: they look forward – trying to become American – and they look back, trying to maintain some traditions from their homeland. Each individual brings his/her own unique personal, meaningful cultural background and their own way of dealing with the unending demands of life. We all need to cultivate an attitude of respect, acceptance and inclusion in order to break down the barrier of our “shyness” or reticence in approaching individuals that seem different.

I wanted to avoid a tourist approach of presenting culture through celebrations and food only. Instead, I wanted to share personal stories, achievements and comparisons in familiar and recognizable aspects of children’s lives – showing how people of diverse cultures live, eat, dress, learn, play and engage with each other. What does a school, a playground, a park or museum look like in another country? How is it the same? How is it different?

Throughout the project I kept in mind the words of Kenyan storyteller Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie:

“The single story creates stereotypes, and the problem with stereotypes is not that they are untrue, but that they are incomplete. They make one story that becomes the only story.”

This rings true. I began interviewing people with a preconceived idea about each country, perhaps formed by the media, whether National Geographic magazine or headlines in the news. Over and over again, my preconceived notions were wrong. The stories that were shared were far richer and diverse than I could have imagined.

For me, this project has underlined the truth that stories matter. Many stories matter. Stories can empower, humanize and help foster feelings of community, celebrating different cultures and their contributions in order to position each other as friends rather than strangers.

I hope that visitors to the Children’s Museum of NH will take the time to explore Gallery 6 to learn and appreciate the cultures presented there. I hope they will share their own stories with family and friends, make new friends and make a small difference in how we appreciate each other as we all face the challenges everyday living.

I also want to mention the fascinating artwork by Portland, Maine artist Jeannie Dunnigan. It is titled BAJ and features just the eyes of a child created using recycled print material. This seemed to encapsulate the idea that we all make up a part of the whole and reminds us that the eyes of our children are on us.

It is my hope the artwork of the MOSAIC project promotes deeper understanding of ourselves, our culture and our place in the world by exploring what brings people together rather than what keeps us apart.

The MOSAIC exhibit is on display at the Children’s Museum of NH through May 27, 2013.

One of our favorite family workshops here at the Children’s Museum of NH is making and decorating gingerbread houses. This past weekend, we welcomed 34 families – some with grandparents, cousins and friends – to this annual holiday tradition. Never does our classroom smell so sweet as when filled with the aroma of baked gingerbread. And if you want to see smiles, it is amazing what a table full of colorful decorations and baggies full of icing can do.

Although you will have to wait until 2013 to make a gingerbread house with us, here are our top five tips for creating a similar fun experience at home:

1. It doesn’t have to be as complicated as building a full-sized gingerbread house. For younger children, you can start simple with constructing small houses, or anything else their imaginations come up with using graham crackers. Another great no-bake idea – decorate ice cream sugar cones to make a forest full of trees!

2. If you are using candy decorations, expect that kids will want to eat them while they decorate. Serve a healthy snack of cut fruit or veggies with dip before you even think of taking out the candy. Even serving a small portion of a sweet treat while they are decorating, such as our choice of a simple sugar cookie and apple cider, keeps the desire to munch on candy at bay.

3.Think outside of the box when choosing decorations. Many cereals that you might already have on hand have interesting colors, textures and shapes. Waffle pretzels can make interesting windows and doors. Dried fruit, shredded coconut and snack treats you already have at home can all make great decorations without breaking the bank.

4.Icing matters, especially when building 3-D objects like houses. Regular frosting that you purchase or make does not stiffen fast enough or get hard enough to glue your creations together. Our favorite recipe that has the added benefit of drying like concrete is: 2 pounds of confectioner’s sugar, 2 teaspoons of cream of tartar and 6 egg whites. Mix all ingredients with an electric mixer for 5 – 7 minutes until stiff peaks form. Instead of buying expensive pastry bags, a plastic sandwich bag with the corner snipped works well to spread your frosting.

5.It’s all about having fun together! Will your children care about creating a symmetrical design or have the willpower to resist the urge to taste while they create? Probably not. Will it be messy? Certainly yes, but once dry the icing is easy to sweep or wipe up.

We hope you’ve been inspired by these tips and photos from our recent Gingerbread Workshop to try this project at home. Happy Holidays!

It’s time to meet another member of the Experience Guide Staff at the Children’s Museum of New Hampshire!

Sarah is at CMNH the majority of the week and can usually be found hip deep in arts and crafts supplies in the Muse Studio. You may have even heard Sarah’s voice while you were shopping for a pair of jeans. Yes, you read that right! Sarah has a lot to say so let’s jump right in and find out more!

Zach: Sarah, how long have you worked at the Children’s Museum of New Hampshire?

Sarah: I’ve been at the museum since October – so about 11 months!

Z: Why CMNH?

S: I’ve always loved working with kids and when I saw that CMNH was hiring I thought it would be a great opportunity to do different activities and exploration with families each day. I loved that each day would be a new and different experience! The other part of that daily surprise is the fact that I get to teach each day. Interactive teaching with the visitors is the highlight of my job.

Z: What originally brought you to New Hampshire?

S: I came to Dover because I was accepted in to the Masters of Fine Arts program at UNH in Durham. My focus is Creative Writing – specifically Poetry.

Z: Where did you complete your undergrad studies?

S: I attended Columbia University in New York City. My focus in undergrad was Creative Writing but I also spent much of my time at Columbia attending and participating in musical performances. I’ve been studying voice since I was six-years old so I definitely enjoyed working with classical music and opera at Columbia.

Z: Wow! You may likely be our only Experience Guide with an opera background! Tell me, what – if any – experience did you have working with families before your time here at CMNH?

S: For many, many years, I taught at a musical theater summer camp in my hometown of Allentown, New Jersey.

This Way to Allentown!

Z: That sounds like a lot of fun!

S: Yes! “Musical Theater Magical Camp” was a very enjoyable place to work!

Z: Wow! With a name like that it sounds even more fun!

S: It really was a lot of fun. Each session ran for 3 weeks and was open to children from 5-12 years old. We would spend Week One getting to know each other, learning about theater, playing games and becoming comfortable with being on stage. We would cast a full musical in Week Two and then teach them choreography, design and make the costumes, and create the set. Then, after rehearsing throughout Week Three, we would put on a performance on the last day for the entire camp and all of the returning families.

Curtains up on the, “Pirates: The Musical” set, circa 2009

Z: Did any of the children ever experience stage fright?

S: Oh, yes! We would often get parents who would sign their children up for our camp in an attempt to kind of bring them out of their shell. These are the children that would be quite shy at the start of camp; often they would be the younger campers. Which made it such a wonderful process that at the end of three weeks we’d be able to see these kids that had entered the process unsure of themselves and their abilities come out on stage and blow us away with their confidence!

Z: I’m currently working on a production myself this summer outside of CMNH and I’m having some trouble with a few of the actors hitting their spots and remembering their lines. Can I recruit you to come and fill them full of your trademark confidence??

S: Well, I’m pretty busy at the museum this summer but we’ll see what I can do!

Z: Sarah, switching gears a bit, I’d like to know if you or your family visited museums when you were growing up?

S: We did. We went to a ton of museums as a family. My father is a software developer and he has worked on a number of projects and exhibits for museums. He and his brothers did most of hardware and software for the Sony Wonder Museum in New York when it first opened.

Z: “New York” meaning New York City?

S: Yes! Right on Madison Avenue! I was able to explore the museum before they officially opened to the public while my father worked on different projects and exhibits.

Z: How old were you?

S: About 6 or 7.

Z: I’m jealous.

S: [Laughs.] You should be! My dad has worked with a number of museums since then and I actually got to do some voice-over work on one of his projects.

Z: I’m somehow even more jealous now. What was the voice work?

S: It was an exhibit for the Children’s Museum of Houston that was also getting installed at the Liberty Science Center in New Jersey. It was a Magic School Bus weather-based exhibit. I provided the voices for two of the children in the Magic School Bus.

All Aboard the Magic School Bus!

Z: Wow!

S: He also worked for the Levi’s flagship store in Union Square in San Francisco – so for a long time, I was the voice of many of their in-store kiosks.

Z: Did you actually get to travel to San Francisco?

Sarah’s voice will help you buy your next pair of jeans!

S: I did! The whole family spent the summer in San Francisco.

Z: And how old were you then?

S: I was 12 years old and it was wonderful to be there for the whole summer. We really got to know the city.

S: Yes. Well. They had a number of installations that were very advanced and were . . . well, perhaps a little over my 12-year old head.

Z: I see. Well, Sarah, please tell us: What is your favorite museum in the world?

S: That’s a really tough question to answer. I very much love the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC. I visited it constantly while at Columbia. But . . . I’d have to say that the Liberty Science Center in Jersey City, NJ will always hold a special place in my heart. When my father was working on the Magic School Bus exhibit, my friend and I were allowed to be at the museum before and after hours and we were given free access to all of the IMAX shows. Most importantly, we were allowed to wear V.I.P. necklaces. [Laughs.]

Z: I always knew you were a V.I.P.! Sarah, what is your favorite exhibit at CMNH and why?

S: My favorite exhibit is probably the Muse Studio. I love the way we’ve been able to mix artistic creativity with scientific exploration. You’ll see families and staff drawing, painting and collaging conjoined with learning how a prism works and how a lima bean plant grows. It’s definitely the part of the museum that, as a child, you would have had difficulty getting me to leave.

Z: Even as an adult we have a hard time getting you out of the Muse Studio!